Czechoslovakia To Remove Border Security Apparatus

December 1, 1989|By Baltimore Sun

PRAGUE, CZECHOSLOVAKIA — The government Thursday ordered the immediate removal of border security barriers with Austria in a new move to ease restrictions on its citizens and improve relations with Western Europe.

Border posts, watchtowers, fences and electronic surveillance devices will be dismantled, the government announced.

In another response to the demands of the pro-democracy movement, Civic Forum, an umbrella group of reformers, will be given 90 minutes of airtime on Radio Prague every day.

The two conciliatory initiatives coincided with the first meeting of the Communist Party and the reformers since the successful mass uprising that ended 41 years of dictatorship here.

Politburo member Vasil Mohorita told leaders of the Civic Forum that the crisis could only be solved by the two sides talking about ''the problems that are common to all'' Czechoslovaks.

He acknowledged that the Communist Party was now only one of several parties ''competing to gain its own place in the political system.'' He said the present party leadership wanted to renew the public confidence in the party and wanted to avoid violence.

But Thursday night in the streets of Prague two pamphlets clearly aimed at arousing public opinion were openly circulating. One gave the reported high salaries of personalities and artists who support Civic Forum. The other gave the reported high salaries of party leaders. Both sides denied circulating them.

A formal attack on the pay and perks of party leaders was launched by the Prague Communist Party. It called for an end to the ''unjustifiable'' privileges of leadership.